1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a securing strap, and specifically to a flexible-type securing strap which is adapted to be placed in encircling relation about a device to be secured. The invention is also directed to a specialized fastener for the securing strap.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flexible securing straps are well known to the art. They can be in many forms including a resilient strap having a buckle fastener arrangement or a bungi-type cord with metal hooks on each end. The straps have a wide variety of uses. Perhaps the most prevalent type of securing strap known today has a fastener marketed under the registered trademark VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners by Velcro Corporation, 681 5th Avenue, New York, N.Y. This type of fastener has gained wide acceptance because of the properties of co-acting gripping surfaces in the form of mating hooks and loops, which permit their attachment by placing one surface defined by hooks into face-to-face relationship with another surface defined by the loops so that a large number of loops resists separation parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement but are readily separable by peeling forces applied substantially normal to this interfacial plane. The term "interfacial plane of engagement", as used herein, refers to the area of attachment of the two reciprocating gripping surfaces. These fastening devices are generally formed of a sheet of synthetic woven or knitted fabric having raised threads of synthetic material, such as nylon, which are napped or unnapped to provide a pile surface defined by a plurality of loops, and which may be thermally treated to become semi-rigid. Certain of the loops may then be cut along one side near their outer extremity to form hooks.
In the prior art applications of VELCRO.RTM. brand fasteners, the structure has nearly always been adapted such that each fastener includes one hook surface and one loop surface which is secured by touch action. For example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,529 to Munz et al which discloses an elastic strap having at one end the VELCRO.RTM. pile material and at the other end the VELCRO.RTM. loop material. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,506 to Moore discloses a securing mechanism which has a strap intended to be inserted through a ring structure and doubled over. The strap is characterized by one of the VELCRO.RTM.-type pile engagement fabrics, i.e., the hooks or the loops. The ring through which the strap is inserted has a tab which is characterized by the other VELCRO.RTM.-type engagement fabric. As the strap is passed through the ring and doubled over, the pile and loop portions of the tab portion and the securing strap are joined locking the strap to the buckle.
Other securing straps also involve the use of a ring. In these cases, the securing strap is generally attached to an article, such as a garment, etc. Another portion of the garment contains a ring or a buckle through which the end of the securing strap is passed and pulled to tighten the garment portions. One surface of the strap is provided with the VELCRO.RTM. loop material. The VELCRO.RTM. hook material may be located farther down the strap so that the strap with the VELCRO.RTM. hook portion can be pulled through the loop, doubled over and attached to the hook portion. Illustrative patents include U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,107 to Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,927 to Rosenthal and U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,299 to Copen.
None of the prior art patents, however, disclose a strap having a fastener which is constructed in a sandwich fashion such that one end of the strap has a gripping surface on both sides and the other end is bifurcated having two internal gripping surfaces which co-act with the gripping surfaces of the first end to form a strong fastener attachment.